Clyde Fitch Report: London’s theatre season, much like New York, is informally bookended by an awards season that each year seems to stretch well beyond the interest of the casual theatregoer and tests the patience of even the hardiest arts journalist. Unlike the Broadway season, however, London’s West End does not have a formal year-to-year cut-off date, resulting in a slightly more fragmented awards trajectory for new productions. Comparing the openings between the two theatre capitals over the next few months shows New York’s obsession with the Tony cut-off date and London’s apathy at pulling together a formal season to service one single award ceremony.
2 comments:
While it's sad and frustrating that so many of the theatres on the West End are dark at the moment, I'm not really sure who can actually be held responsible. The UK government does way more to subsidize the theatre industry in London, which is one of the main reasons that the industry has flourished there. While the recent terrorist attacks definitely aren't helping, and for some reason tourists may have become uninterested, this issue seems relatively minor in the larger scope of things. Besides the fact that the article doesn't really point out what can really be done about the issue other than a small paragraph at the end with some minimal suggestions, it also seems to point out that most of what they're trying to point out hasn't been happening for very long. The article seems to undermine their overarching point here, as they even point out that this is more of a "spring lull" than a long-term recession.
I’ve always had an interest in the West End and what separated it from Broadway and I feel like this provided me with a good context to the current events there. Although this article makes it seem like the West End is struggling, I think it is facing the same problems that Broadway is going through with its commercialization. The West End has its “Lion King” and “Mamma Mia” which makes it hard for tourists because they may be less willing to try a new play due the risky nature of not knowing what your getting. It also seems to be a problem that shows are announcing early closures, which signals an issue in the theatrical economy there. And it’s not like Broadway doesn’t have its fair share of early closures, however they were are with shows that are not well received, not a play like “Hand to God”.
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